The Southern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons is coordinating activities and proactively identifying and supporting issues that impact practicing surgeons and patients at the state and national levels.  This is in collaboration with all three CA chapters formally termed the Joint Advocacy Committee of the ACS California Chapters (JAC-ACSCC). 

This year we continued our advocacy efforts with passage of both AB 70 Emergency Response: Trauma Kit and AB 28 Firearms and Ammunition: Excise Tax.  AB 70 will provide bleeding control kits for renovated buildings and AB 28 will place a tax to the manufactures of firearms and ammunitions.  That revenue will go to supporting violence prevention programs and other initiatives to help decrease gun violence.  The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and the Association for the Surgery of Trauma have both provided statements and recommendations outlining strategies to increase firearm safety and reduce firearm related violence (Statement on fire arms – The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (aast.org) and (https://journals.lww.com/journalacs/Fulltext/2019/02000/Recommendations_from_the_American_College_of.7.aspx).

Despite support from the National American College of Surgeons and the JAC-ACSCC, AB 632 Health Care Coverage: Prostate Cancer Screening was vetoed by Governor.  In addition, SB 868 to provide bleeding control kits to all CA classrooms and AB 71 to provide bleeding control instruction to high school student are on a two-year cycle.  The JAC-ACSCC will continue to work with legislators over the coming year.

AB 28, 70, 71, 632 and SB 868 were all supported by SCCACS and the Joint Committee of the ACS CA Chapters (JAC-ACSCC).

Lastly, SB 516 Health Care Coverage: Prior Authorization. Has undergone amendments and currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on a two-year cycle. 

The SCCACS Advocacy Committee will continue to respond to member concerns and requests as we continue to engage in advocacy and support surgeons and patients. 

SCCACS Advocacy Committee

Chair – Sigrid Burruss, MD, FACS
Loma Linda University

Thomas Duncan, DO, FACS
Ventura County Medical Center

Sammy Eghbalieh, MD, FACS
Southern CA Multispecialty Center

Lorrain Kelley-Quon, MD, FACS
CHLA/USC

Hari Keshava, MD
UCI

John Lam, MD, FACS
Southern CA Permanente Medical Group

Learn more about other advocacy efforts from 2023 in the Advocacy Archive.